It came down to the final match to determine who would win the meet in Boulder, Colorado between the No. 60 Oregon Ducks and No. 56 Colorado Buffaloes.

Oregon came away with the doubles point after wins by Alyssa Tobita/Nia Rose, 8-2, and Nicole Long/Marlou Kluiving, 8-6, in No. 1 and No. 2 doubles respectively.

In singles, Colorado tied it up and nearly won it.

First, Julyette Steur beat Rose 6-1, 6-1 in No. 1 singles and her teammate, Ashley Tiefel defeated Paloma Gomez 6-3, 6-4 in the No. 6 spot, giving Colorado a 2-1 lead.

Kluiving and Lina Akesson responded with identical 6-2, 6-1 wins in the No. 4 and No. 5 position, putting Oregon back in the lead.

Then Colorado took No. 2 singles and tied it up after Nuria Ormeño Ruiz narrowly beat Tobita 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

The match came down to Long’s No. 3 match-up against Kyra Wojcik, which the Duck was able to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a third set.

Oregon’s next match will be at home on March 27 against USC.

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Oregon club wushu newcomers usually fit into two categories: They either come in with a martial arts background or they join with no relevant experience whatsoever.

Freshman Tommy Yang doesn’t quite fit the mold of either. He has experience—in dance.

Although dance isn’t typically associated with martial arts, wushu is a little different. The sport contains punches, kicks and blocks, but there’s no sparring. Everything is completely performance-based.

Performing is something that Yang knows well. Not only is he well-versed in multiple styles of dance, but he was involved in drama, theatre and music before college. He’s used to putting on a show.

That said, Yang says wushu is different from anything he’s ever done. With acting, he puts out a character. With dancing and wushu, he puts out a sensation. The type of atmosphere and aesthetic he creates varies with what he’s doing.

“With Waltz, it feels high class,” Yang said. “With tango, it feels sensual. With salsa, it feels lively and fun.” He paused, thinking. Then his voice deepened and his words slowed. “With wushu, it feels intense.”

Yang struggled to put the intangible differences between dance and wushu into words, but stressed that the two feel entirely different. Freshman Kasey Sullivan – having joined the team this year with an aerial dance background – could relate to what he meant.

“The fact that it’s a martial art – even though it’s performance martial art – you can see the power and the potential in [the moves],” Sullivan said. “Obviously you never hurt people with it, but you can feel the potential to.”

Wushu veteran Elirissa Hui could tell right away Yang had an advantage, more than others, coming into the sport. His overall muscle control was higher than other beginners and his ability to manipulate his facial expressions during his forms was impressive.

“If you tell him to move a certain way, he can catch on that day,” Hui said.  “A lot of time, when [beginners] don’t know what they’re doing, it takes them a month to figure it out.

“The details that relate to the performance aspect of wushu, he’s really good at catching onto those.”

Yang’s quick to emphasize that he’s only a beginner. When asked what he had to work on, he immediately said, “everything.” It was an answer that not only showed his perfectionist nature, but his desire to improve. It was an answer that Hui also believes indicates a deeper understanding of the sport.

“I think the people who are really dedicated to wushu say that,” Hui said. “Even my coaches [in Portland] say that.”

Despite being new to the sport, he’s already showing promise. Last Saturday he won first along with this teammates at the Chinese Martial Art Tournament with his beginner staff form. And, although his future with the sport is still undecided, he has no plans to stop anytime soon.

“I like wushu. I’m in it. I like it. Why not stay in it?” Yang said. “I like the people, I like the exercise and it looks cool.”

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Following yesterday’s 5-2 win over Utah State, Oregon (7-4, 1-0 Pac-12) took on BYU (7-6, 1-2 WCC) and ultimately lost 4-3 in a meet that came down to the final match. It was Oregon’s second game in the Beehive State this weekend.

BYU was quick to claim the doubles point after back-to-back wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles position.

After BYU acquired their second point after Erica Valimaki defeated Paloma Gomez in No. 6 singles, 6-1, 6-1, Oregon was looking to put themselves on the board. Nicole Long managed to do so when she closed out Savannah Ware 7-5, 6-3 in the No. 3 spot. Then Marlou Kluiving and Alyssa Tobita both won their matches against BYU’s Toby Miclat and Nicolette Tran. Kluiving’s win meant that she was still undefeated in dual play.

Oregon lead the meet 3-2 and needed only one more victory to win the meet. It came down to No. 5 and No. 1 singles. No. 5 singles was the first to complete out of the two. BYU’s Morgan Anderson edged out Lina Akesson 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in a third set. The clinching match came down to Nia Rose’s and Meghan Sheehan-Dizon No. 1 match. BYU managed to take the final point after winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a third set.

Oregon will face Utah next Friday in Salt Lake City.

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In their first match of the season against a ranked team, the No. 67 Oregon women’s tennis team took on the No. 69 Utah State Aggies and won 5-2, taking the doubles point after wins from Nia Rose/Alyssa Tobita and Marlou Kluiving/Nicole Long.

In singles, Long had the first win for the Ducks after her 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sabrina Demerath in the No. 3 spot. Oregon’s Lina Åkesson match against Maggie O’Meara was the next to complete and ended similarly with a 6-2, 6-1 win in the No. 5 position. Utah State finally responded with a point of their own. Meghan Lyall defeated newcomer Paloma Gomez 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 6 position.

To clinch the match, Kluiving defeated Lexi Turley 6-2, 6-3 in No. 4 singles to continue her undefeated streak.

The No. 1 and No. 2 spots were the last to complete. Rose, playing No. 1 singles, dropped her match 4-6, 6-2, 10-0 against Utah State’s McKenzie Davis. Alyssa Tobita came out on top against Aggies’ Nini Guensler 6-3, 6-4 to give the Ducks their fifth and final point.

Oregon’s next match is set for March 14 against BYU.

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– In Oregon men’s basketball, No. 2 Oregon beat No. 10 Colorado 93-85 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. Colorado had an explosive beginning and end of the game, but their 13 turnovers translated into 27 points for Ducks, eventually costing the Buffaloes the game. Oregon will advance to the semifinal round and play No. 3 Utah later today.

– No. 1 Oregon Acrobatics and Tumbling was briefly reunited with former head coach Felecia Mulkey yesterday night in their match against undefeated No. 2 Baylor. Oregon was barely edged out of a win by the team headed by their previous coach, 279.770 – 278.825. Despite the loss being the first home loss in program history, the girls were glad the win came down to the team routine since Oregon typically lacks evenly-matched competition.

– Pro Day took place at the Moshofsky Center Thursday, reuniting current and former Ducks football players. The day was another chance for players to showcase skills for the NFL scouts in lieu of the looming April 30 NFL Draft. Some Ducks in attendance were: Marcus Mariota, Hroniss Grasu, Erick Dargan, Tony Washington, Keanon Lowe, Derrick Malone, Kenny Bassett, Dior Mathis, Jake Fisher, and Lavasier Tuinei. Photos of the event can be seen here.

– Oregon baseball was swept 4-1, 8-2 at home in their two-game series against San Fransisco. In both games the Ducks only managed three hits against the Dons. The series was the first time that San Fransisco right fielder Connor Hofmann returned to PK Park after leaving Oregon last season, an experience he discussed in a Q&A with Emerald sports reporter Andrew Bantly.

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Oregon (5-2, 0-0 Pac-12) faced off against the Portland Pilots (4-2, 0-1 West Coast) in the Student Tennis Center for their eighth match of the regular season. After some extremely close singles matches, Portland narrowly came away with a 4-3 victory.

Portland earned the initial lead after taking the doubles point. Alyssa Tobita/Nia Rose won their No. 1 match against Lucia Butkovska/Jelena Lazarevic, 6-3. However, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles were dropped with identical 6-4 scores by doubles pairings Nicole Long/Marlou Kluiving and Lina Akesson/Paloma Gomez. The doubles match was Gomez’s first official game as a member of women’s tennis after joining a few days ago as a walk on.

“I think she (Gomez) did great,” said head coach Alison Silverio. “You know, having to come out and compete right away without much preparation, she handled herself in a first class manner. The mental side is the biggest thing in these matches and she was able to control a lot of her emotions. Even though the score didn’t go her way, I think she’ll certainly learn a lot from today and be able to carry that into our next week of practice and our next matches.”

The six singles points were highly contested. After splitting the first four matches, it came down to the No. 2 and No.5 spots to determine who would clinch the meet. Oregon needed both matches to win; Portland needed one. Both games went into a third set.

Tobita played UP’s Mladenovic in the No. 2 spot. Akesson played Sophie van den Aarssen in the No. 5 spot.A kesson ended up dropping her match 7-5, 3-6, 3-6, giving Portland the game-clinching point. Tobita won hers 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 in what was an extremely back and forth game. The second set of Tobita’s match was determined by a tie-breaker.

“Portland is a very talented and competitive team this year and we knew we were going to have battles on every spot,” Silverio said. “It’s always fun when you have these battles. Certainly, you’re going to want them to go your way, but either way you learn so much and…we’ll be able to take this and learn from it and it will propel us forward as we go throughout the season.”

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It was Oregon’s second consectutive road game, but their fourth consecutive win. After a more difficult meet against UC Santa Barbara yesterday, today the Ducks made easy work of Santa Clara and swept the Broncos 7-0.

Oregon secured the doubles point early on with wins from the No. 2 and No. 3 spot. Marlou Kluiving/Nicole Long versus SCU’s Nabila Farah/Zeina El Tawil in No. 2 doubles was the first match to complete. Kluiving and Long made quick work of SCU, winning with an 8-0 score.  Kadie Hueffner/Lina Åkesson then finished their No. 3 game 8-5 against Danielle Zinn/Riley Morgan. Although Nia Rose/Alyssa Tobita’s No. 1 match against Chelby Cooke/Daniella Silva went unfinished, Rose/Tobita were leading 6-5.

Kadie Hueffner had the match-clinching point for Oregon in No. 6 singles. Her 6-1, 6-2 victory over Riley Morgan gave the Ducks the fourth point in the meet, guaranteeing the win after both Åkesson and Long had defeated their opponents. The sweep-clinching point, however, went to Nia Rose in No. 1 singles. Rose’s match with Nabila Farah was the closest in the entire meet and ended 7-6 (3), 6-2 in favor of Oregon.

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The Ducks flew south to Santa Barbara, California to face off against UCSB in their first game of their two-match road trip. The Ducks made work of the Gauchos, winning 5-2.

Oregon clinched the doubles point after wins from Nicole Long/Marlou Kluiving and Nia Rose/Alyssa Tobita. They won their matches 8-2 and 8-4 respectively.

In singles, Oregon won all of their matches with exception of the No. 5 and No. 6 played by Lina Akesson and Allie Hueffner. The game-clinching point went to Long in her match against April Scatliffe (6-4, 6-4). Another notable win went to Kluiving who, with her 6-4, 6-4 win against Melissa Baker, remains undefeated in dual play and 14-2 in singles overall.

The Ducks will play against tomorrow against Santa Clara at the UCSB Women’s Tennis Courts.

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– Men’s basketball guard Joseph Young announced, “We’re making the [NCAA] tournament. I just want to get that out right now,” after Tuesday’s practice. Head coach Dana Altman thought the claim was “young and foolish,” but he “likes the enthusiasm.”

– Acrobatics & Tumbling freshman base Lauren Jones passed away Tuesday night. The Oregon athletic community has been sharing their condolences on Twitter and there is currently a form where people can share their memories of her, which will be compiled at a later date.

– On Monday, No. 22 Oregon baseball finished their four-game season-opener series at the Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Ducks were trailing 2-0 until the ninth inning, where the Ducks scored three runs to pull ahead and win the game against Hawaii, 3-2.

– Women’s tennis doubles partners Alyssa Tobita and Nia Rose raised their doubles record to 16-5 this weekend after games against Iowa and Montana. The team will begin their road trip this weekend to Santa Barbara, California to play UCSB and Santa Clara.

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Freshman Alyssa Tobita’s first impression of her current doubles partner, freshman Nia Rose, was less than ideal. It was the women’s tennis team’s first practice of the year and Rose was already late.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Who is this girl on our team? She can’t even make the first practice on time,’” Tobita said, laughing.

The two describe themselves as opposites and on paper, they couldn’t be more different. Rose comes from the Big Apple, Tobita from Hawaii. Rose is laid-back and goes with the flow, but Tobita likes schedules and calls herself anxious. Rose studies psychology. Tobita came to Oregon as a physics major.

After their first match together, however, it was obvious that the doubles pair was meant to be. Instantly, they clicked and became friends. While their polarized personalities balanced each other out, their humor brought them together.

“I think some of the girls on the team think we’re weird when we’re together because we have jokes that no one else understands,” Tobita said.

And they also finish each other’s sentences.

“Doubles is a lot about having a connection and trust with your partner,” started Tobita.

“And just knowing how to handle each other’s moods,” continued Rose. “And making sure we’re on the same page physically and mentally when we approach matches. It’s important to be friends, but also respect each other.”

As the case with many best friends, their relationship is full of loving jabs (their caller ID’s are the ugliest pictures they could find of the other person), but also true support for one another.

“She makes me wanna be better in school and in tennis,” Rose said. “She really pushes me. We have the same values. We want the same things. We want to be a successful team, so we push each other.”

“That’s why we’re such great friends,” Tobita said.

Their connection extends beyond the courts, but as their bond strengthens outside of tennis, their chemistry increases in-game. It’s something that teammate Marlou Kluiving describes as vital for success.

“Having that communication on and off the court is really important in order to be a good doubles couple,” Kluiving said. “You have to be comfortable and feel good on the court (to be successful). And the only way to do that is to be comfortable with your doubles partner.”

Tobita and Rose have combined to make a formidable pair. They’re currently 16-5 in doubles this season and, despite the constant laughter between them, the two are an aggressive powerhouse competing in Oregon’s No. 1 doubles position.

“We make doubles matches very physical,” Tobita said. “It’s tough for doubles players to play us when we’re controlling from the baseline…”

“…but moving forward and being able to control too,” Rose finished. “We can beat people many ways. We’re very dynamic.”

The two have set the goal of making the NCAA and All-American Championships together. And with two months of play left in the season, their future as a tandem looks promising.

“They’ve been playing better and better every match,” Kluiving said. “I’m excited to see what’s going to happen this season.”

Follow Anne Yilmaz on Twitter @anneyilmaz.